Tue, Jan 26, 2021: San Salvador El Salvador Temple, Snow, snow, and more snow, lost and found phone, Amz Scam, Indexing, walking, blogging

 

San Salvador, El Salvador

135th operating temple

Dedicated: 21 Aug 2011

By: Henry B. Eyring

Jesus Christ, Mission of

2 Nephi 2:9 - Intercession

Wherefore, he is the firstfruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved.

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 17:31-47

"Come Follow Me"

DC 6; 8-9 Heavenly Father speaks to me through "the Spirit of truth": "Unshaken" and "Don't Miss This"

OctGenCon

'Let Patience Have Her Perfect Work, and Count It All Joy!'

Elder Jeremy R. Jaggi

Of the Seventy

Patience's perfect work may also be illustrated in the life of one of Christ's early disciples, Simon the Canaanite. The Zealots were a group of Jewish nationalists who strongly opposed Roman rule. The Zealot movement advocated violence against the Romans, their Jewish collaborators, and the Sadducees by raiding for provisions and pursuing other activities to aid their cause. Simon the Canaanite was a Zealot (see Luke 6:15). Imagine Simon trying to coax the Savior into taking up arms, leading a militant group, or creating chaos in Jerusalem. Jesus taught:

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. . . .

"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. . . .

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God" (Matthew 5:5, 7, 9).

Simon may have embraced and advocated his philosophy with zeal and passion, but the scriptures suggest that through the influence and example of the Savior, his focus changed. His discipleship of Christ became the central focus of his life's efforts.

Restoration Proclamation

P3 S3

Joseph would be instrumental in its return.

Ensign

1. Grow into the Principle of Revelation

2. God Speaks To Us Today

3. The Power of Personal Revelation

I am feeling so much better than yesterday! Maybe it was that one Prednisone tablet, I don't know. 

We have about 18-20 inches of snow and it's still snowing!

Luna is not there waiting for her breakfast as she normally is. She is waiting for James behind the shed.

We are snowed in. James could not get the truck out because of the snow piled up in front of it. He called Show Low Motorsports to tell them because he has an appointment at 9 a.m. They said it was okay, that none of their appointments were making it in today and they would work us in when we got here.

James made venison steak and I made corn for lunch. It was yummy.

Pierce came back this morning and tried to plow our road again.

We appreciate him so much! 

I am back to stripping the polish off our wood floor in the family/living room. I still have one more section to go. 

James went out to feed Luna this afternoon with his phone in his shirt pocket. The thought came to him to change it to his zippered pocket in his jacket but he dismissed the thought. Later, he was shoveling snow and realized that his phone was missing. He told me to call it several times, which I did, but he could not hear anything. He prayed, I prayed, and he looked for about two hours, shoveling through snow until he finally found it. It had turned off, probably because of the cold, but worked fine after he charged it. Heavenly Father does answer prayers!

I got a voicemail today saying someone tried to charge an Iphone 11 to my Amazon account. I called the number listed and the guy had me download Zoho Assist so I could "cancel my order." It seemed a little contrived from the beginning but I went a long with it because he kept saying my Amazon account had been compromised and they were going to have to close it. After downloading the Zoho Assist he asked me to open my bank account so we could see if the money had been charged to my account. At first he said is was $199 and now he was saying it was $799. I just laughed when he told me to open my bank account. I might be gullible, but I'm not that gullible. In the meantime James was in the background calling Paul to see if this guy was legit. Paul said, "Hang up, it's a scam." When I told the guy he was a scammer, he didn't say anything, he just hung up. Why are there so many dishonest people in the world?

I did not take any prednisone today. The five tablets I got have to last me for awhile so I am only taking one when I feel absolutely miserable. I did take Tramadol, aspirin, and muscle relaxer.

This evening I indexed 90 names which brings my monthly total up to 1055. My lifetime total is 3,074. We finished "Baked Alaskan" today. I'm sure our next book is sitting out in the car because James said he picked up the mail yesterday. 

Kathy Crane is still sick and Mason Konkle, Greg Hatch's son-in-law who is building the house where James is doing the driveways and patios, had to make a trip to Texas to attend his father's funeral. He died of complications from Covid.

The rod of Aaron blossoms, signifying 

Priesthood authority

It's a marshmallow world!

By the Vernon Cemetery

Mon, Jan 25, 2021: Kyiv Ukraine Temple, Blizzard, Pierce to the rescue, car stuck, more prednisone - back appt., Snow, snow, snow, Youth memory

 

Kyiv, Ukraine

134th operating temple

Dedicated: 29 Aug 2010

By: Thomas S. Monson

Jesus Christ, Mission of

Hebrews 9:15

And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 17:17-30

"Come Follow Me"

DC 6-9 "This is the Spirit of Revelation" Introduction

OctGenCon

'Tested, Proved and Polished'

President Henry B. Eyring

Second Counselor in the First Presidency

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know and love you. They want you to return to Them and become like Them. Your success is Their success. You have felt that love confirmed by the Holy Ghost when you have read or heard these words: "For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

God has the power to make our way easier. He fed manna to the children of Israel in their wandering to the promised land. The Lord in HIs mortal ministry healed the sick, raised the dead, and calmed the sea. After His Resurrection, He opened "the prison to them that were bound."

Yet the Prophet Joseph Smith, one of the greatest of HIs prophets, suffered in prison and was taught the lesson we all profit from and need in our recurring tests of faith: "And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good."

Restoration Proclamation

P3 S2

In this vision, he learned that following the death of the original Apostles, Christ's New Testament Church was lost from the earth.

I'm back to sleeping on the recliner. It is just too difficult to sleep on my back in our bed. I can sleep on my side, but when I am in a lot of pain I just keep moving back and forth from side to side. On the recliner I am on my back and I don't move around. I am on the recliner in the morning when James gets up and he comes over and rubs my leg and foot. It feels so good.  As I am lying down I listen to conference talks, James and I have prayer and we read from the Book of Mormon and the "Come Follow Me" lesson. Part of the lesson was a video about Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery meeting. It was about 25 minutes long and really good.

James takes the truck up the hill to get the trailer so he can take the Razr in to Show Low Motorsports to be serviced. He can't see the road because of the snow and he slides into a rock, he can't go forward or backward...he's stuck. Chuck comes over first with his truck and then the tractor to try and pull James out, but it didn't work. Pierce brought over his big Army Unimog. It slid towards the truck, barely missing it. Pierce then decided to go home and get a 40 ton wench on his two ton Army dump truck. He tied the wench cable up the hill to a tree and somehow pulled the truck out. James said it was very impressive. He then proceeded to clean off our road. It snowed most of the day today.

James called Show Low Motorsports to say he was bringing his machine in a day early but he found out they were closed so he left the truck and trailer with the Razr on it, in the driveway and took the car into town to pick up prescriptions for me. I called the doctor and got him to prescribed me another five days of prednisone. I also found out that my x-rays show I have stenosis buildup in my lower lumbar. James says stenosis is like a calcium buildup. Dr. Brian (the nurse practitioner) says I may have to have surgery and I should see a spine doctor. I gave him the name of Sonoran Spine and he sent them a referral for me. I called them and got an appointment on February 8th. Dr. Crandall, who did James's surgery works at the clinic but he no longer takes Medicare patients since 2018 when James had his surgery.

When James left here there was about 10 inches of snow and when he got to Show Low they only had about 2 inches. He had no problem getting my four prescriptions which cost almost $100. Three were previous prescriptions I had called in and one was the Prednisone. The Methotrexate is the one that is so costly. James also stopped at China Wok and got some food and hot and sour soup.

After he had been gone over three hours I began to worry so I called him. He said he hit a snowdrift when he turned off the Green's Peak road and spun off the road. He kept putting branches under the tires and finally got out. He then got stuck again at the bottom of our hill in a huge blizzard. Chuck pulled him up the hill but they couldn't make the turn into our drive so my car sits out on the road. The blizzard was so bad neither Chuck nor James could see anything. James says our car is worthless in the snow because it is so light.

James is soaked and has snow all over in his hair. When he went out to feed Luna she was covered in ice, but seemed to be fine.

No "Come Follow Me" everyone except the Peeler's cancelled.

I indexed 212 names today for a January total of 970.

 

 

Sun, Jan 24, 2021: Cebu City Philippines Temple, Bishop Hunsaker's message about Pres. Nelson's talk, "Embrace the Future with Faith", Charlie, Snow

 

Cebu City, Philippines

133rd operating temple

Dedicated: 13 June 2010

By: Thomas S. Monson

Jesus Christ, Mission of

Mosiah 3:9

And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him.

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 17:1-16

"Come Follow Me"

Review: DC 3-5 "My Work Shall Go Forth"

OctGenCon

'Let God Prevail'

President Russell M. Nelson

President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

We may be led to some who have never believed in God or Jesus Christ but who are now yearning to learn about Them and Their plan of happiness. Others may have been "born in the covenant" but have since wandered away from the covenant path. They may now be ready to repent, return, and let God prevail. We can assist them by welcoming them with open arms and hearts. And some to whom we may be led may have always felt there was something missing in their lives. They too are longing for the wholeness and joy that come to those who are willing to let God prevail in their lives.

The gospel net to gather scattered Israel is expansive. There is room for each person who will fully embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ. Each convert becomes one of God's covenant children, whether by birth or by adoption. Each becomes a full heir to all that God has promised the faithful children of Israel!

Restoration Proclamation

P3 S1

In humility, we declare that in answer to his prayer, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph and inaugurated the "restitution of all things" (Acts 3:21).

Today was definitely a snow day, and lots of it. I had bad muscle cramps this morning and did not think I would be able to sit through church so I stayed home to watch on Zoom. James got permission to administer the sacrament to me when he spoke to the bishop at church. He also helped bless the sacrament at church.

James also represented Chuck at ward council today. Chuck is under quarantine until February 4th because Kathy has Covid. James reported on our indexing activity and progress to the ward council. The bishop wants everyone in a leadership position to do some indexing. 

At home I listened to President Nelsons' talk, "Let God Prevail" and then the talk by President Oaks about Joseph Smith. 

As I waited for the Zoom broadcast to start I read from 1 Nephi 17 about the Lord commanding Nephi to build a ship. He had such an attitude of gratitude. He was even thankful for raw meat to eat in the wilderness. I wonder if I could be as grateful as Nephi if I was in a similar situation. 

The powers that be, Sandra and Kerri, had difficulty getting the broadcast started today. It came in in the middle of Alicia's talk and then it was the bishop's turn. We could not hear a word he said. Well actually I did hear a couple of words, one was Lamanites and the other was focus. I had to wait for James to get home to tell me what the bishop's message was. 

He said it was the best talk he as ever heard the bishop give and that he wanted everyone to read and study President Nelson's conference talk from the women's session of the October conference. The title of the talk is, "Embrace the Future with Faith." Here are some of the highlights of this talk:

My dear sisters, you have found new ways to make the Sabbath a delight. And you have made protective masks - millions of them!

You young women have also been remarkable. Though social media has been flooded with contention, many of you have found ways to encourage others and share our Savior's light.

Sisters, you have all been absolutely heroic! I marvel at your strength and your faith. You have shown that in difficult circumstances, you bravely carry on. I love you, and I assure you that the Lord loves you and sees the great work you are performing.

How are we to deal with both the somber prophecies and the glorious pronouncements about our day? The Lord told us how with simple, but stunning, reassurance: 

"If ye are prepared ye shall not fear."

If preparation is our key to embracing this dispensation and our future with faith, how can we best prepare?

I urge you to take steps to be temporally prepared. But I am even more concerned about your spiritual and emotional preparation. 

In that regard, we can learn a lot from Captain Moroni. As commander of the Nephite armies, he faced opposing forces that were stronger, greater in number, and meaner. So, Moroni prepared his people in three essential ways.

First, he helped them create areas where they would be safe - places of security he called them.

Second, he prepared "the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord."

And third, he never stopped preparing his people - physically or spiritually. Let us consider these three principles.

Principle Number One: Create Places of Security

As turmoil rages around us, we need to create places where we are safe, both physically and spiritually. When your home becomes a personal sanctuary of faith - where the Spirit resides - your home becomes the first line of defense.

Likewise, the stakes of Zion are "a refuge from the storm" because they are led by those who hold priesthood keys and exercise priesthood authority. 

The temple - the house of the Lord - is a place of security unlike any other.

Simply said, a place of security is anywhere you can feel the presence of the Holy Ghost and be guided by Him. 

Having places of security to which you can retreat will help you embrace the future with faith.

Principle Number Two:

Prepare Your Mind to Be Faithful to God

The Lord taught us how to increase our faith by seeking "learning, even by study and also by faith." We strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ as we strive to keep His commandments and "always remember him." Further, our faith increases every time we exercise our faith in Him. That is what learning by faith means.

Few things build faith more than does regular immersion in the Book of Mormon. No other book testifies of Jesus Christ with such power and clarity. Its prophets, as inspired by the Lord, saw our day and selected the doctrine and truths that would help us most. The Book of Mormon is our latter-day survival guide. 

Our ultimate security comes as we yoke ourselves to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ! Life without God is a life filled with fear. Life with God is a life filled with peace. This is because spiritual blessings come to the faithful. Receiving personal revelation is one of the greatest of those blessings. 

I promise that as you increase your capacity to receive revelation, the Lord will bless you with increased direction for your life and with boundless gifts of the Spirit.

Principle Number Three: Never Stop Preparing

The adversary never stops attacking. So, we can never stop preparing! The more self-reliant we are-temporally, emotionally, and spiritually-the more prepared we are to thwart Satan's relentless assaults.

Dear sisters, you are adept at creating places of security for yourselves and those you love. Further, you have a divine endowment that enables you to build faith in others in compelling ways. And you never stop. 

Please, keep going! Your vigilance in safeguarding your homes and instilling faith in the hearts of your loved ones will reap rewards for generations to come. 

I am not saying that the days ahead will be easy, but I promise you that the future will be glorious for those who are prepared and who continue to prepare to be instruments in the Lord's hands.

Let us not just endure this current season. Let us embrace the future with faith! Turbulent times are opportunities for us to thrive spiritually. They are times when our influence can be much more penetrating than in calmer times. 

I promise that as we create places of security, prepare our minds to be faithful to God, and never stop preparing, God will bless us. He will "deliver us; yea, insomuch that he will speak peace to our souls, and will grant unto us great faith, and . . . cause us that we can hope for our deliverance in him.

As you prepare to embrace the future with faith, these promises will be yours! 

It snowed a lot today! James went over to the Scott's because Sister Scott told him at church that she used to have cramps like he says I am having and that she now takes vitamin K2, magnesium, D3, Zinc, and potassium. He brought home some K2 vitamins. I will order some tomorrow for Sister Scott to replace them. She also said to drink lots of water and no diet soda because aspartame in the diet soda causes cramps. 

I indexed 124 names tonight for a total of 754 for this month. 

We Facetimed with Jared, Kacey, and Charlie tonight. It was so much fun!

James and I watched the first part of Brother Halverson's "Unshaken" on YouTube tonight.

I love this!

Road near Vernon Cemetery

Connie and her daughter Katie and friends

Sabbath with Charlie

One of the names I indexed today.